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I suspect even philosophers are susceptible to the usual social engineering tricks. One doesn't become immune to effects like preferring a speaker with an attractive face just from exposure to Kant. (Just one notion that occurred to me just now. Won't be long until these things can have a real time "video chat" with users.)

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One still has to evaluate an argument on its merits, regardless of the attractiveness of the interlocutor.

My hope is that conversational AI will sharpen up our critical thinking skills en masse. We need more people getting into the habit of asking "This sounds plausible, but is it actually true? How can I find out?"

> One still has to evaluate an argument on its merits, regardless of the attractiveness of the interlocutor.

True, but unfortunately, rational thought is heavily influenced by emotions.

You are much more likely to accept some cognitive dissonances if the reasoning is caused by someone you trust, like, or admire.

Heavy thinkers are not immune to that, they just produce much more elaborate justifications.

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